Could John Major Become Prime Miniater Again
Boris Johnson has dismissed former Conservative prime minister Sir John Major's claim that the ongoing partygate scandal had damaged the Uk's reputation on the international stage as "demonstrably untrue".
Earlier on Thursday, Sir John launched a stinging assail on the prime minister, accusing him of request the public to "believe the unbelievable" over lockdown parties in Downing Street.
He added the United kingdom's reputation overseas had "fallen because of our comport".
Live updates as NATO master bug warning amid ongoing fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine
In an apparent call-to-action for MPs to move against Mr Johnson, Sir John said: "Deliberate lies to parliament have been fatal to political careers - and must ever be so".
"The lack of trust in the elected portion of our commonwealth cannot be brushed aside. Parliament has a duty to correct this.
"If information technology does not, and trust is lost at habitation, our politics is cleaved."
Speaking afterward on Th, Mr Johnson told broadcasters he "volition have plenty to say" about the police investigation into Downing Street parties "when the procedure is complete", adding that he is currently focussed on the situation at the Ukraine border.
'Prime minister and officials broke lockdown laws'
Speaking at an upshot at the Institute for Authorities, Sir John accused the prime number minister and his officials of breaking lockdown rules over parties held in Downing Street and across Whitehall - which are currently subject to a Metropolitan Police probe.
Speaking to reporters at a news briefing in Brussels earlier, Mr Johnson, who is coming under force per unit area to quit, said he was looking forward to Scotland One thousand's investigation into 12 gatherings being completed.
Downing Street declined to reject Sir John's accusation, with the PM'due south official spokesperson telling reporters: "There's a Met investigation under way on these events, I only wouldn't seek to comment."
Read more: All yous demand to know well-nigh the Met Police probe into Downing Street parties
Major's disdain for No 10 handling of partygate 'clear and damning''
A former Bourgeois prime minister argued today that the current holder of that role broke the law during lockdown.
Asked if PMs who deliberately lie to parliament or interruption laws should resign, Sir John replied: 'That has ever been the case'.
He may have stopped short of straight calling for Boris Johnson to become, merely Sir John's disdain for Downing Street'due south handling of the partygate saga was clear and damning.
His wider argument was that we are seeing the first signs of British democracy fraying, and the government's recent attacks on institutions like the judiciary, civil service and BBC are part of that denigration. It has, he claimed, undermined public faith in politics.
The former PM has long disagreed with Boris Johnson. While in office in the 1990s he disapproved of Mr Johnson'due south journalism every bit the Telegraph's Brussels correspondent. Today Mr Major described that reporting every bit 'often widely mistaken and short on fact'.
The two men have also disagreed on Brexit, the determination to prorogue Parliament, and the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Sir John'south speech remained, however, a rare and excoriating assail on the actions and character of his predecessor. If any Conservative MPs were watching, it could have been a consequential intervention.
Sir John, who was in office from 1990 to 1997, said: "At Number x, the prime minister and officials bankrupt lockdown laws. Brazen excuses were dreamed up.
"Day after day the public was asked to believe the unbelievable. Ministers were sent out to defend the indefensible - making themselves await gullible or foolish.
"Collectively, this has fabricated the authorities look distinctly shifty, which has consequences that get far beyond political unpopularity."
'Outright lies breed contempt'
Describing the behaviour of politicians in government equally "corrosive", Sir John said: "Trust in politics is at a depression ebb, eroded past foolish behaviour, leaving a sense of unease about how our politics is beingness conducted.
"Also often, ministers have been evasive, and the truth has been optional.
"When ministers respond to legitimate questions with pre-prepared soundbites, or half-truths, or misdirection, or wild exaggeration, and so respect for authorities and politics dies a petty more.
"Misleading replies to questions invite disillusion. Outright lies brood contempt."
It is not the first time Sir John has criticised Mr Johnson. He has been a vocal critic of Brexit, the prorogation of parliament and most recently the government'southward handling of the Owen Patterson lobbying scandal.
He previously called the government "politically corrupt" over its treatment of the Business firm of Commons."
PM facing calls to resign
In his explosive intervention, Sir John continued: "The prime minister and our present government not only challenge the law, only also seem to believe that they, and they alone, need not obey the rules, traditions, conventions - phone call them what y'all will - of public life.
"The charge that there is 1 police force for the authorities, and ane for everyone else is politically mortiferous - and it has struck home."
Sir Malcolm Rifkind, who served as foreign secretarial assistant in Sir John's government, told Heaven News subsequently on Thursday that it was "a source of deep embarrassment that the prime minister's behaviour seems to have led to a police investigation".
"Our prime minister's authority both at home and overseas is substantially reduced by all the controversies of the final few weeks," he added.
"These matters clearly have non been resolved.
"And so each time he goes to another capital urban center, you can bet your bottom dollar that what the newspapers and the media and the Idiot box channels in these countries are reporting on are his troubles dorsum dwelling house and non his views on Russian federation."
Opposition parties and some of Mr Johnson's own Conservative MPs have called for the prime minister to resign over the Downing Street 'partygate' scandal.
If 54 Conservative MPs submit letters of no confidence in the prime minister to the caput of the 1922 group of backbench Tory MPs Sir Graham Brady, a vote on whether he should continue as leader will be held.
On Wednesday evening, Scotland Chiliad revealed officers working on their ongoing investigation into 12 lockdown-busting events held in Downing Street and across Whitehall - which has been named Performance Hillman - would this calendar week start asking for the accounts of more than than 50 attendees.
New photo of PM at Christmas quiz emerges
The news came just hours later on a fresh photograph emerged of Mr Johnson at a Christmas quiz in Number 10 aslope a bottle of alcohol, a bundle of crisps and ii people wearing tinsel and a Santa hat.
The Metropolitan Police is now rethinking its cess of that outcome following the publication of the image.
At the time of the event, on 15 December 2020, London was under Tier 2 coronavirus restrictions, which banned any social mixing indoors betwixt people from different households.
Scotland Yard said in a statement: "The Metropolitan Police service previously assessed this result and determined that on the basis of the evidence available at that time, information technology did not meet the threshold for criminal investigation.
"That cess is now being reviewed."
The Met Police force added that officers will contact people involved in the events by the end of the week and those contacted will initially fill out a questionnaire.
Stories around parties 'have cut through', says Zahawi
The Times cited policing sources every bit saying Mr Johnson himself was likely to exist among those questioned.
The PM's official spokesman told reporters on Thursday that Mr Johnson has not been contacted by officers investigating partygate allegations.
"We would look to confirm contact of this sort as relates to the prime minister given the meaning public interest," he added.
Asked about the matter at a news briefing in Brussels on Th, the prime number minister said: "That process must be completed and I am looking forrad to it being completed."
The developments come later on the PM's new Commons leader claimed "real people" exercise not intendance about the partygate row.
Mark Spencer told BBC Radio Nottingham that "normal people" were more worried about the cost of living and the NHS excess.
But Educational activity Secretarial assistant Nadhim Zahawi contradicted this in an interview with Sky News.
Taking function in a Q&A with Kay Burley, he said: "In that location is no doubt that the stories around parties take cutting through, people are rightly aroused."
Prior to the Met Police probe, an investigation into gatherings held in Westminster was carried out past senior ceremonious servant Sue Gray.
Ms Grayness has handed more than 300 images and more than 500 pages of data to Scotland Yard.
She has yet to publish her full findings due to the ongoing police investigation.
At that place has been a recent exodus of senior advisers from Number 10 amid the partygate allegations.
armstronghade1968.blogspot.com
Source: https://news.sky.com/story/downing-street-parties-sir-john-major-says-brazen-excuses-were-dreamed-up-and-deliberate-lies-to-parliament-must-be-fatal-to-careers-12538111